THE FOUNDING OF ATHENS
by PiperFreeze6
Summary: My epic poem based on the mythical founding of Athens and the rivalry and clash between Athena and Poseidon. Enjoy!


Sing to me, oh Muse,

That wondrous tale of old,

When Athens a goddess claimed,

And immortality took hold.

Mighty Athena,

With eyes that flash,

And beauty so rare,

Did with Poseidon clash.

And what began with a wave

Ended with an olive branch.

Said great Poseidon,

"What fine land this would be

Should I be made father

To this people

As I am to the sea."

As he spoke, his trident flew

And upon the rock it struck.

From within did water eschew

And around the land did swell.

"This is hardly a gift to the land,"

Came a voice to his right.

Upon turning, he saw Athena,

Her grey eyes flashing bright.

Imposing she was

Her hair the color of night

Which no sun could illuminate

And her figure was slight.

Poseidon felt annoyance

At the goddess' retort.

Not one to lose a challenge,

He let out a derisive snort.

"Think thou, young Pallas,

Thy merit is worth

To tell me what gift

A city should see?"

"Nay," replied she

With a twitch of her brow,

"Think I do not-

For certain I know

That it hardly is fitting

For terror to strike.

The mortals will shun you

And your temples alike.

To drown them will simply

No respect for you win."

"Be gone, then, you wench!"

Poseidon did shout.

"What knows thou of respect

From both gods and men?

The mortals dare not rile me,

Lest they lack common sense.

The wave is quite vital

To both man and beast.

For without it, the life's thread

Is soon cut quite short.

Aideous, my elder brother

Then claims as his own."

END

**PART II. The Challenge**

"Let us each a claim stake,"

Cunning Athena declared.

"To the victor the city,

To the loser despair."

And saying thus caused

To appear an olive tree.

Concur did Poseidon

With a great booming laugh.

"The people shall choose me,

Or face my fearsome wrath."

So went they to Cecrops,

Who reigned o'er the land.

And there did both argue

For him to understand

Why one gift did satisfy

And the other did not.

The king prayed the two

To recount the deeds

Of their separate histories.

Spoke up Poseidon,

"I am a son of Cronus.

For when I was born,

He cast me into darkness.

My siblings and I were forlorn.

The Lord Zeus then freed us,

My siblings and I.

And with him we drove

The Titans from sky.

We then claimed realms,

To each his very own.

Hades chose the netherworld,

So dark and so cold.

I chose the sea's depths

Which are so very blue

That they render the dullness

Of the fairest of jewels.

And Zeus took the heavens,

Ruled both sky and cloud.

He is Master of us all,

To him we submit.

Choose me to

Patron this grand land.

My seas are

'Quipped to safe passage

Noble ships

From territories far.

And ready am I

To cast deep

Foes that would harm thee.

Choose me,

O son of Earth!

Choose me!

I have proved my worth.

For I, to Athena

Am senior

In this, the world's order."

"That is all very well,"

Cecrops did say.

"But pray us hear

What the lady has to say."

Poseidon stepped back

And with a great leer,

Let Athena come forward

And all men felt fear.

Her eyes swept

From man to man.

Her low voice was

Of the night owl.

Thus she did begin.

"Daughter of Zeus

Am I and

His wit I possess.

Favored am I,

The child of Craft.

Emerge did I

From my father's great brain.

He'd swallowed my mother

And for this felt pain.

Young I might be

To both gods and men.

But even the cub

In the lion's dark den

Is bound to have right

To glory and awe.

"I provide wisdom,

Weapon of might,

That makes the war's victory

All the more bright."

"Look to thy spring,"

Said she to the other.

"It reeks of bitter salt,

And does stain the water.

If let, it will stay

And every living thing slay."

To Cecrops she said,

"Choose, great king-

"The olive or the spring?"

**PART III. The Choice**

And thus did two gods

Await the choice to be made.

But the king was uneasy

With the choice he must make.

To take the gift of one god

Was to rouse the other's wrath.

The best choice, he felt

Lay in an alternate path.

Said he to his subjects,

"Choose whom thou will

To guard this great land

From those who wish ill.

But 'ware which god

Thou choose to reject.

If prayers reach not,

Nothing can protect

Our people from disaster.

"Careful that choice

Does not death bring.

Or worse, a curse,

Upon every living thing.

Our crops might wither,

Our women cast empty-

Thy choice alone decides

The fate of this city. "

Vote did the people,

Both races that day.

Man look'd to Poseidon,

To him they would pray.

Many cities he owned

To his glory it sang.

But this land under a goddess?

Nothing else caused such a pang.

Bright-eyed Athena

The men did scorn.

Their pride was vast

And hardly newborn.

"Who be this goddess

That she should rule

O'er us and our line?

Why, only a fool

Would serve a woman!

"Virgin is this goddess

And if rule she should

Our wives will mock us

This behavior won't be stood.

They'll abandon the kitchens,

And take claim on war.

"Our worth will be next.

By unmanning us all

We will be brought low

And our merit will fall.

"The world will tell

Our state near and away,

And other men will crow,

'These fools are Gaia's prey!'"

Women went for Athena,

That goddess of note.

To the eastern sky

Each woman cast her vote.

Said they in secret,

"Perchance the lady

Will grow our place

In this man-ruled city.

"We may raise our sons

To give their mothers respect.

They will grow and maybe

Love their wives and protect

Them from misfortune. "

So the votes were cast,

Drawn up and polled.

And all the land waited

For the future to unfold.

The call rang out

Throughout the land.

The victor was Athena,

Goddess so grand!

The land became

Her glorious domain.

It prospered and on it

Good fortune did rain.

It came to pass,

As often happens,

The city took a name

And was called Athens.

O, Muse, do speak

Of Poseidon's dreadful rage.

How he cursed the city

Inhibited her every stage.

And though woman was suppressed,

Her spirit could not be caged.

For in time

The tide would turn

And break the curse.

No woman would be spurned.

THE END


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